The percentage of North Carolina’s active TB cases that were foreign-born increased slightly from 44 percent in 2014 to 46 percent in 2015, still below the national rate of 66 percent of active TB cases in 2015 that were foreign-born.

The introduction of MDR TB to the United States represents a serious public health threat, since its successful treatment is uncertain and very expensive. Active TB can usually be treated successfully in six to nine months at a cost of $17,000 per patient, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), but MDR TB treatment costs over $150,000 per patient and can take between 20 and 26 months.